Improvement in propelling canal-boats



PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN T. TEASDILL, OF LOOKPORT, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT m PROPELLING CANAL-BOATS.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN T. TEASDILL, of Lockport, in the county ofNiagara and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in thePropulsion of Canal-Boats; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a plan view of a canal-boat provided with my improvedpropelling apparatus. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same takenin the line w to, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken inthe line y Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawing indicate thesame parts.

1y invention has for its object to provide m proved means for propellingcanal-boats for the purpose of doing away with draft-animals andpreventing the wash of canal-banks. To this end the invention consistsin the constru ;tion of the propelling mechanism driven by asteam-engine and arranged within the boat, as I will now proceed todescribe.

In the accompanying drawing, A is the canalboat, of the ordinaryconstruction; and B is a steam-engine located within the same at or nearthe center. 0 is a crank-shaft mounted transve-sely upon the frame ofthe engine and connected with the piston-rod D. E is a tank surround' anopening in the bottom of the boat imm .iiately in front of the engine;and F are two (11)11131 standards secured with the tank upon oppositesides thereof, being connected together at their upper ends by a topplate, G. Within the standards are arranged short bars or guides H,connected together at their upper and lower ends by shafts I, so as toform a sliding frame, the shafts moving freely through vertical slotsformed in the proximate sides of the standards. The frame is held at thebottom of the standards by spiral springs J, whose tension is regulatedby the screw-bolts K arranged in the top of the standards, as shown. Lare wheels arranged upon -the lower shaft of the frame a short distanceapart, and provided with peripheral buckets m. Between the paddlewheelsthe shaft carries a pinion, n, which meshes into a large gear-wheel, O,mounted upon the upper shaft. A sprocket or chain wheel, IP, is alsomounted upon this shaft, around which a chain, Q, passes to a secondwheel, R, mounted upon the end of the crank shaft G, as shown. By thismeans the paddle=wheels are driven from the engine to propel the boat ina canal or other body of water, while the arrangement of said wheel to0perate through the bottom of the boat causes less agitation of thewater, and, therefore, prevents the wash of the canal-banks to a greatextent.

By adjusting the screw-bolts K in the tubular standards the tension ofthe springs J is adjusted to raise or lower the paddle-wheels foroperation in deep or shallowwater. The wheels are held in an elevatedposition against the tension of the springs by two parallel screwrods,S, which connect it at their lower ends with the upper shaft of thesliding frame, and are made adjustable in the top plate G by means ofnuts t fitted upon their upper ends.

In constructing a canal I propose to form the bottom with cement orsuitable flagging, so that when the boat is floating in shallow waterthe propelling-wheels, from which the paddles have been previouslydetached, shall rest upon the flagging.

When the engine is in operation the wheels run on the flagging to propelthe boat. To increase the speed of the same the exhaust steam from theengine may be directed against the water at the stern of the boat bymeans of a pipe, U, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Any suitable arrangement desired may be employed to lengthen or shortenthe chain by which the propelling-wheels are driven from the engine,when for any purpose this becomes necessary or desirable. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The frame,carrying the propelling-wheels so as to project through the bottom ofthe boat, made adjustable by means of the adiustable springs J and rodsS, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

2. The frame H I, carrying the propellingwheels, in combination with theslotted tubular standards E, the screws K, and the adjustable springs J,substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

his JOHN T. TEASDILL.

mark. Witnesses:

N. P. CURRIER, AARON SILK.

